Everyone loves a parade and the Penticton Peach Festival is hosting a free workshop for the public with organizers from one of the top U.S. parades to help energize your floats.
Peach Festival is welcoming the Northwest Festivals Hosting Group in Penticton from Jan. 17 to 19 with festival leaders attending a conference and annual general meeting. One of the workshop sessions invites people to learn how to build their own parade floats.
“We have opened this particular workshop to the public. It is presented by Gary and Carla Stenberg, who are involved with the Portland Rose Festival and Seattle Seafair, and will show you how to build and decorate a small float using a golf cart,” said Daphne Adey, Director and Chair of Hosting for the Penticton Peach Festival.
Carla Stenberg brings 40 years of experience in volunteer and paid event planning combined with her business and creative skills as an artist to bring depth to the parade management. Gary Stenberg owns Rose City Float Designs, specializing in mini float designs and constructing mid-size to larger floats from 20-feet to 45-feet long. He has worked with the worldwide premier float design company of Phoenix Decorating for the Tournament of Roses Parade in California.
“This is a great opportunity for non-profits, associations and local businesses to learn how to build these amazing little floats as resources and information will be shared on design, construction and decorating,” said Don Kendall, Peach Festival President. “The Stenberg’s bring a wealth of experience that has helped their floats win top awards in parades throughout the Northwest. We would love to see locals take what they have learned and enter a float into our festival.”
The session is open to any businesses or service clubs and is being offered free of charge. It will be held on Jan. 18 at 2:15 p.m. at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. Organizers ask that anyone planning on attending to register at [email protected].
Peach Festival takes place from Aug. 5 to 9 and the Peters Bros. Construction Grand Parade takes place on Saturday, Aug. 8. It is one of the largest in B.C.’s interior with floats from across B.C. and Washington State, marching bands, dancers, musicians, clubs and associations participating.
To find out more about the Penticton Peach Festival or to enter into the Peters Bros. Grand Parade click here.
